Memories Lost
by MockingHallows
Summary: The whole school knew before she did.
1. Chapter 1

**Before**

The whole school knew before they did.

Beca and Chloe were on opposite ends of the social spectrum- Chloe was a confident and dedicated cheerleader, Beca a studious and introverted scholar. Both were reserved in their own sense. Chloe was confident and amiable, and held a reputation for the amazing choreography she devised for the team's dance routines. She remained humble, despite the amount of people who fawned over her expertise.

Contrary to the cliche, Beca hardly bragged over her grades. Everyone knew she was smart, of course. The smiles teachers give the high-scoring students aren't well-hidden. She's intelligent, but she isn't one to believe in superiority over others because she'd memorized the complex equations or vocabulary that her classmates had merely glanced over.

Beca can clearly recall the first day they met.

Well the first time they _saw_ each other, anyway.

It'd been the first day of their freshman year in highschool. They had biology together, first period. She had already made her way to the decrepit "lab". The tables were grungy, marked with years of idle doodling and profanities. The football team managed to get new equipment each year, oddly enough. She made her way to a table on the right side, lying in the middle, but closer to the back of the class. Beca shrugged off her backpack, letting it slump onto the surface of the heightened desk and pulling open the main compartment to retrieve her supplies, as well as extracting a pair of over-ear bluetooth headphones, and her phone. Students came in occasionally, dropping off their things before heading back into the hall to socialize during the fleeting moments before the starting bell rang. The monotonous, electronic chime came only a second later, and students began to file in.

A minute or so before the second bell was due to ring, A long-legged figure stepped into the class, chuckling as she bid goodbye to the small throng of friends she'd been walking with. Beca idly glanced up from her playlist, an action she'd been doing occasionally all morning when she caught sight of the girl. She was clearly in a freshman class, though her figure and overall demeanor seemed to suggest that she was older- like, upperclassman older.

The teacher, who looked as though he'd graduated only a short while ago, seemed to have the same thought. He paused his typing to glance at the girl, a single eyebrow quirking.

"Are you in this class, or are you looking for someone?" The instructor questioned, a friendly smile softening his features.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Shoutout to the two of you who followed this story! I got a huge smile seeing that you actually enjoyed it enough to do so. This chapter will be longer.~ I hope you enjoy it.

The redhead flashed a slight grin. Beca felt a corner of her own mouth pull into a smirk, though she quickly stifled it, unsure of why she'd smiled in the first place. She didn't notice the short exchange- she'd been too focused on not letting her gaze fix onto the stranger longer than normal.

The student strode towards the small desk, which was already showing signs of overflowing, handing a folded slip of paper to the preceptor.

While both the ginger and the teacher were preoccupied with what Beca assumed to be a schedule, she chanced a better look at the girl. She wore a fitting dress, with a turquoise checkered design. While it hinted at her curves nicely, it was modest. The top half hugged her form, while the bottom half flowed freely, stopping just above her knee.

The teacher nodded after a few moments, handing the girl back her schedule. Beca quickly looked down, and noticed a handful of the other students did as well.

"Alright-" The teacher- Mr. Zedler- paused for a moment, his face contorting into an expression of feigned concentration. "Chloe." He said, giving a wink as she rolled her eyes. The first period bell rang after the exchange.

"Everything checks out. Find yourself a seat, and we'll delve into the syllabus for the year!" The instructor quipped brightly, clapping his hands together.

Chloe nodded, turning to face the class, an easy, though subtly shy smile on her face. Her azure eyes met Beca's clouded blue ones, and the brunette looked away, her cheeks flushing sanguine. Chloe gracefully made her way to her table, sliding smoothly onto the lab stool beside her, and unpacked her supplies.

Beca had focused her attention onto writing the syllabus down into her notebook, even though the teacher had handed everyone a slip of paper with the same information. Zedler continued to drone on about what each section would focus on, and Beca dutifully wrote down the details. She heard the familiar soft tearing of paper, though didn't think much of it until a ripped section of lined paper was pushed to her side of the table, a beautifully, but natural-looking manicured hand the force behind it.

Beca glanced at Chloe, though the ginger has gained a sudden interest in the mandatory lecture, idly writing whatever words she caught. The brunette looked at the scrap of paper, which had a small note written on it, in dark purple ink. The penmanship was flawless- aesthetically pleasing, looping and connecting seamlessly.

 _"Hi!~ ^-^ You've already heard my name. What can I call you?"_ The note read. Beca paused her own writing to respond:

 _"Beca."_ She wrote, frowning slightly at her slanted print, which now seemed untidy and childish in comparison. She sighed before continuing. _"Are you new here? To the town I mean."_ She huffed. Even in writing, she managed to speak wrong. _"I would have recognized someone like you."_

Beca slid the paper back towards the ginger, who eagerly glanced down. Her brows pulled together as she read, a small crease appearing in between them. The puzzled expression soon dissipated, however, as her features relaxed into a wry grin. She scribbled a response, though covered the note nonchalantly as Mr. Zedler paced aimlessly in their rows, waiting until he'd passed before slipping the paper back towards Beca.

 _"Like me? ;)"_

Beca's heart-rate quickened at the response, though she forced the creeping blush away. She hadn't dated anyone, and until this point, she'd assumed she was straight. And she tended to think people who dated so early in high school were more interested in the idea of romance than the actual feeling of it. She coughed lightly, her pen hovering over the torn piece before writing.

 _"I mean, you're very pretty."_ She began hesitantly. _"I would like to think that you're a pretty recognizable person."_ There. That sounded reasonable. It didn't… hint at anything too drastic, though it was a subtle compliment. She was proud of her response as she pushed the paper back towards Chloe.

The red-haired girl quickly read the reply, before turning to flash a dazzling smile at Beca. The stifled blush creeped back into her cheeks, and she looked away.

The bell mercifully rung over the school's speakers, and people began to pack as the teacher reminded them to read over the year's plans.

Chloe quietly pocketed the note when Beca leaned to retrieve her bookbag. When the brunette straightened, Chloe gave a light hum, before slowly easing out from the table's overhang.

"See you tomorrow." She drawled, giving a light wink at her obviously flustered lab partner. Chloe let out a soft chuckle, before she headed out the door, and disappeared into the sea of students in the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: I've been busy getting ready for school, and generally just been dealing with some personal matters, but I'm touched to see how many people have responded to this! ;u; I know it's not too fast paced, but I'm trying to make it a fulfilling, and in-depth story. I'll update it as frequently as possible, but I want to give you guys quality writing, not something that was lazily put together. Thanks for the comments and favorites!~ If you have any suggestions/ideas, message me, and I'll give you the framework I'm using for this story.**

Beca watched Chloe's hair disappear, standing still for a moment. What did she mean by that? With another sigh, the brunette pushed her belongings into her bag haphazardly and swung it over her shoulder. She gave a half-hearted waved to the teacher, who was already preoccupied with entering information into the computer, before slipping out of the lab herself. She found herself looking around for the mane of red-hair. Beca was slightly crestfallen when she couldn't locate her. She shrugged her bag into a more comfortable position, before heading towards her next class.

}~~~~~~~{ 

The rest of her classes proved to be mundane and predictable. Beca would be one of the first to arrive for each subject, now interested to see whether or not Chloe would join her again. Each time, she'd look up hopefully as the last students slipped into their desks, the girl with vivid locks disappointingly absent.

The worst part was that she didn't even know why she found herself seeking Chloe's slender form. Or why her thoughts kept trailing towards the exchange they shared. Was she over-analyzing it? Was it just Chloe's idea of 'friendly' banter?

The first day ended unceremoniously. The final bell was met with low grumbling and a quick exit by all of the inhabitants of Beca's honors English class. The introverted brunette joined the throng of students on the the staircase leading to the main floor, towards her locker. It was fitting that the cubicle she owned for the year was only a few feet from the entrance to the library. She rounded a corner, and found the small collection of lockboxes. One of the middle ones was already open, though the owner was obscured by its door. Beca found her number- the last locker on the end closest to her, and allowed her bookbag, a black canvas bag with a top flap opening, to slide to the ground beside her. She bent down, removing all the text books she'd received throughout the day and sliding them onto the lowest part of the locker, arranging them by their respective period numbers. She heard the center locker shut lightly, though didn't look up until a pair of strappy wedges appeared beside her.

"Beca?" The owner of the legs inquired curiously.

Beca straightened before glancing up- and yes, she had to glance up because the person speaking was a solid half a head over her. Her eyes first landed on red hair, and then onto the angular, defined structure of Chloe's face.

"Hey." Beca responded lamely, swallowing. "I- er- it looks like we'll be seeing each other often." She continued, though visibly winced at her stutter.  
Chloe was unperturbed by the slight stammer. She opened her mouth to speak, though the words went unsaid as Beca's phone began to ring loudly. The thing was almost always on silent- except now, of course- and she'd forgotten she had set the ringtone as Titanium. The brunette breathed an apology, fumbling to retrieve her phone from her pants pocket, quickly sliding her finger across the screen to answer.

"Hello?" She answered, her tone slightly cross at the inconvenience.

"Woah, someone sounds angry. I know you're upset that school's started but-"

Beca's father was cut off as she spoke. "I'll talk to you later, dad." Beca replied, before ending the call. She hastily shoved her phone into her bag.

Chloe watched her with a bemused expression as she repacked her phone. "You like David Guetta?"

Beca met the ginger's curious gaze, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah. I mix songs, and his work is sort of an inspiration for me." She replied further, shifting her weight.

Chloe seemed to brighten at her statement. "That's awesome!" She replied. "I'm not talented enough to mix songs, but I sing pretty often. Titanium is my _jam._ " She giggled, before glancing down at the watch on her wrist. Beca opened her mouth, about to ask her to sing a small section of the song, though closed it before Chloe could notice it was agape. It seemed like a simple request, but the brunette couldn't find the confidence to ask her to demonstrate her talent. Before she could think of another way to get the ginger to sing, Chloe spoke up.

"My ride should be here. It was nice meeting you, Beca." She commented, giving Beca an honest wave. Beca imitated the parting gesture, letting her hand fall once Chloe was out of view. She gathered her things, her features relaxing into her more familiar expression- a light scowl, as though she was in a constant state of annoyance. She closed her locker gently, before heading down the hall, and into the school's parking lot.

She found her dad's ten-year-old car easily, as he'd managed to find a spot right near the entrance. Beca walked towards the weathered vehicle, first opening the back door and dispensing her bookbag into the back seat, and sliding into the passenger's seat after she'd closed the door.

Beca noticed her father studying her. "What?" She inquired, though the normally venom-laced word held no attitude in it.

"You seemed upset earlier. Is everything alright?" Mr. Mitchell questioned, turning the key in the ignition.

Beca forced a believable smile onto her face. "Everything's fine. I'm just grieving over the death of summer, like everyone else." She replied cooly, putting on her seat belt.

Beca's father chuckled, before making his way out of the crowded lot.


End file.
